Bridgetown, Barbados 85F rain then sunny and hot!
Bridgetown was an extremely busy town. 4 cruise ships docked the same day, and the cruise terminal was absolutely jammed packed. The Caribbean is a popular destination in winter for Canadians and British as well as Americans. One of the reasons the Costa itinerary was chosen is that Barbados is the only Caribbean stop. But it certainly won't be the only hot one. sigh.
I booked a walking food tour on Viator.com. I have not been on a food tour before so had no real expectations. We met our guide Janelle at Independence square (pink star) and after winding through the streets, ended up at the purple blob at the bottom left of the map. We walked a 1.5 mile spaghetti route between the 2.
The tour wove history and food as the two subjects certainly join together. The indigenous people of Barbados are referred to as Bajan (Janelle pronounced 'Bay-Jun'). There are no indigenous people living in Barbados and are only found in small numbers in South America. When the English arrived at the original site of Barbados in the 1620's they found no inhabitants- only deserted houses. The Barbados history is filled with slavery and indentured servants. As various countries landed in Barbados over the centuries, it was normally to find gold or silver. Barbados has none so the Spanish enslaved the Bajans and took them to South America to work in the gold mines of Colombia. Slaves from West Africa were then brought to Barbados to work sugar cane plantations to support the British settlers. Indentured servants from European countries rounded out the food influences of today. Barbados has only been under the rule of England for their long history.
An example of how history influences food for Barbados is in one of their national dishes - Cou-cou ( said as cuckoo). As African slaves were brought to Barbados, their food influenced history as well. From Africa comes a dish that uses corn meal as a base. Each country has some variation of that - consistency or ingredients mixed in - and different names as well. In Kenya it is call Ugali. Barbados calls it Cou-cou. We know it as polenta. We are all connected in many ways as one world.
We started the tour at Independence Square which is across the river from the Parliament (building with the clock tower). As in many places in the region, different bold and bright colors are always prevalent.
First up is Crumbz bakery. It gave a lot of insight to the breads and pastry and ingredients that are considered local. We were all set for a tasty morning sweet pastry yet, this stop was to try the 'Meat Roll' which is a popular buy and eat on the run breakfast. Very simple yellow pastry (due to tumeric) rolled around ground beef and onions, like a cigar. It was warm and tasty. Forgot a picture as I am just not a fan of food pictures and all places except one were all take and go.
Our second stop was in reality a food cart, for a 'Legendary FishCake'. A very popular local stop, which shut down shortly after we arrived as they had sold out for the day - it was about 11:30am. The fish cake is only made with salted cod. They will add black pepper and onions and enough flour to bind the ingredients. Cooked as you order the cakes as they are best eaten hot. I found them to be spicy yet the only spice was the black pepper. They do enjoy hot peppers (Scotch Bonnets) but add that as a hot sauce on the side. I thought they were pretty tasty which is surprising as fish is not generally my first choice of food.
We walked through street markets and fruit/vegetable markets to talk about the items locally available and used in their food. The most interesting was a stop at an organic fruit/veg farmer who made his own juices. We were able to try a glass of sorrel juice also known as the 'Caribbean Cranberry' juice. Except, sorrel is not a fruit. It is a small shrub in the hibiscus family. The juice is made from the leaves and stem of the plant. Boiled with spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, bay leaf it is cranberry red in color. A very tart taste, some sugar is added. It was delicious.
We then landed on the street with a tiny unassuming sign for Tims. Tims has several locations in Barbados and is known for their macaroni pie. This is a variation of macaroni and cheese and attributed to the European influence with the use of pasta. It seems every family has their own version of macaroni pie based on ingredients and if is firm and sliced like a pie or scooped from a baking dish. This was a simple macaroni and cheese, scoopable, on a bed of sautéed cabbage. I was busy talking with a couple from England and once again, forgot a picture. I'm not good at this, sorry.
Are you full yet? I was but we aren't done yet!
We moved on to this small local drop in and walk away restaurant for another favorite - vegetable rice and fish bites (Marlin). The rice was filled with fresh veggies - cabbage, onion, greens and the fish was again fried. Very good. Yep, no picture here either.
Now it was time for dessert or a sweet ending. We just stopped at a small case and guy on the sidewalk. His case was empty, he had sold out already for the day. Such is the joy of a tour as he had reserved small bags of Sugar Cake for us. Unwrapping the bag, this was not a cake.
The gentleman explained that the base of this confection is coconut and ginger with just enough sugar to bind it. It is made daily and boiled - somewhere between the soft and hard candy stage. His method and coloring ingredient was not to be shared as it was a family/company secret. It was soft yet held together nicely. I like coconut and it was good. It has to be a favorite as during our conversation 4 other people came up asking if he was truly out of product for the day. He knew each one (regulars?) and yes he was sold out.
Our final stop was a chocolate factory and they made their own ice cream. The cocoa beans come from the Grenadines and they prepare the chocolate from the beans to finished product. Unfortunately there was not much going on chocolate production wise but, the ice cream was good. Always end on a high note!
None of these places I would have found on my own or considered entering if I did notice them. It was an introduction to their history of food and insight into popular dishes and the ingredients. I will most definitely try a food tour again.
The South America section of the tour starts tomorrow and in a couple of days we will transit the Panama Canal. I am beyond excited for that opportunity and am searching for just the right vantage points on the ship. What fun to come!
Finally - thanks for reading this blog. Trying to learn efficiencies and ways to make it enjoyable and easy to put together. Still working on the easy to put together but I'm certain that is my issue. This is really my stream of consciousness - I am certainly not a tour guide or historian. I'm having a great time and appreciate you all coming along for the ride.
Blessings
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